By IANS,
New Delhi : Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said here Monday his country is not racist and it is taking appropriate steps to prevent violence against Indian students.
“We welcome Indian students, who come to Australia in huge numbers. Australia is not a racist country. We are offering quality education,” Cern told reporters on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry event.
“Violence is present in all countries, we ensure that the violence gets mitigated with appropriate steps that we are taking.”
Foreign students are worth $15-18 billion-a year for the Australian education sector. Its image as a low priced, quality education destination with immigration opportunities has been dented in India after a number of violent attacks on Indian students.
Indians form the second largest overseas student community. The ministry of external affairs has issued an advisory to Indian students in Australia, advising them not to travel at night and travel in groups, among other precautions.
Claiming that his government was doing all that is possible to curb violent incidents, Crean said: “The government has added additional police at the places where these incidents are occurring and also offering helplines and assistance to students in campuses and online”.